Wire winding device



Feb. 18, 1958 E. E. PETERSON 2,323,873

WIRE WINDING DEVICE Filed April 9, 1954 Ewre H E. Peterson INVENTOR,

BY (Wavy Fm United States Patent WIRE WINDING DEVICE Everett E. Peterson, Alden, Iowa Application April 9, 1954, Serial No. 422,020

1 Claim. (Cl. 242-865) This invention relates to a wire winding attachment for farm tractors, and pertains more particularly to improvements in such devices which materially reduce the cost of the same and render their operation more rapid in performance by permitting winding spools or reels to be quickly placed on and removed from the winding mechanism.

With the instant device, the winding attachment is rigidly secured to an associated tractor and includes a winding shaft adapted for attachment to a tractor power take-off unit for rotation therewith, the winding shaft having a radial, torque transmitting member secured thereto which is, in turn, readily connected in torque transmitting relation to an associated winding spool received on one end of the winding shaft.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a conventional tractor showing the winding attachment secured thereto;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken substantially along the plane of section line 2-2 in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the winding shaft.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral indicates a conventional tractor assembly generally which is provided with the usual final drive casing 12 having axle housings 14 and 16 extending from opposite sides thereof to which the Wheel members 18 and 20 are attached. The final drive housing 12 has a power take-01f shaft 22 projecting rearwardly therefrom, all as is conventional and well known.

The winding attachment comprises a sleeve member 24 provided with a pair of bracket arm members 26 and 28 rigidly secured thereto and extending angularly forwardly therefrom and provided at their forward ends with apertures 30 for receiving the fasteners 32 and 34 by means of which the unit is rigidly attached to the body of the tractor. The sleeve is provided with a bushing 36 at one end and a similar bushing 38 at its other end for the purpose of journaling the winding shaft 49 therein. A collar 42 is rigidly secured to one end of the winding shaft and embraces about the power take-off shaft 22. Normally, the collar 42 and the power take-off shaft 22 will be splined for driving connection therebetween, but to prevent longitudinal movement between these two shafts, a pin member 44 may be provided in the manner shown most clearly in Figure 2.

The rearward end of the winding shaft extends beyond.

the sleeve 24 and is adapted to receive a winding reel or spool 46 thereon, the spool being loosely journaled on the winding shaft.

As seen most clearly in Figures 2 and 3, a torque transmitting rod 48 is rigidly secured at one end to the winding shaft 40 beyond the sleeve 24 and extends radially therefrom to terminate in a looped end portion 50 through which a fastener member 52 extends for threaded engagement with one of the flanges 54 of the spool. In this manner, rotation of the winding shaft is imparted to the spool.

The winding shaft may be hollow, as shown, or may be of solid construction according to the desires of the user.

The invention is used to pick up wire and is particularly useful in winding up electric fence wire on farms and the like, but may be used under any circumstances in which a winding operation is desired.

The provision of the torque transmitting rod 48 serves two basic and important functions, namely, a means for rapidly and easily attaching a winding reel or spool to the assembly, and a means for maintaining tension on the wire being wound upon the spool and also to provide an overload relief during the winding operation. As to the latter function, it will be readily apparent that the torque transmitting rod is formed of resilient material, such as spring steel, and will flex during the winding operation more or less according to the tension on the wire being wound upon the spool. When the power take-off unit is stopped or disengaged, the flexure of the torque transmitting rod will assure a positive tension being maintained on the wire being wound upon the spool even though there be slight backlash in the power take-ofi drive gears which would permit unwinding of the spool and consequent slackening of the wire being wound thereon.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since nu merous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A wire winding device comprising a bearing sleeve, a winding shaft journaled through said sleeve and having its ends extending out of the ends of the sleeve, a collar fixed on one end of the winding shaft and attachable to a tractor power take-01f shaft for drivingly connecting the power take-off shaft to the winding shaft, arm members rigidly secured to said sleeve and attachable to a tractor to rigidly support the sleeve, a spool freely rotatable on the other end of the winding shaft, and a resilient torque transmitting rod extending radially from said winding shaft and having one end rigidly attached to the winding shaft and its other end fixedly attached to said spool at a point spaced radially from the axis of the spool.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

